sat 25/10/2025

David Nice

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Bio
The classical music and opera editor of theartsdesk, David writes, lectures and broadcasts on music. A former music critic for The Guardian and The Sunday Correspondent, he has made regular appearances on BBC Radio 3, not least in the long-running series Building a Library. He has written short studies on Elgar, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and the history of opera, and is currently working on the second volume of his Prokofiev biography for Yale University Press. He runs two Zoom lecture series, Opera in Depth on Mondays and a symphonies course on Thursdays.

Articles By David Nice

Elisabeth Leonskaja, Wigmore Hall review - a universe of sound and emotion in Schubert’s last three sonatas

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Andsnes, London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Gardner, RFH review - total clarity in classic-romantic and prophetic Rachmaninov

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Suor Angelica, English National Opera review - isolated one-acter lacks emotional inscaping

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Eugene Onegin, Royal Opera review - the heart left cold

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Pavel Kolesnikov, Wigmore Hall review - unpredictable magic

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theartsdesk in Bradford - Leeds International Piano Competition 2024 finalists shine in St George's Hall

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Beethoven Sonata Cycle 1, Boris Giltburg, Wigmore Hall review - running the gamut

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LSO, Pappano, Barbican review - singular adventures for a new era

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Prom 68, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Garsington Opera review - eerie beauty sometimes faintly glittering

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Proms 63-65, Choral Day review - from Harris to Handel/Mozart via Alabama, with love

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Prom 62, Mahler's Sixth Symphony, Bavarian RSO, Rattle review - sound over momentum

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Kaos, Netflix review - playing fast and profuse with the Greek myths

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Prom 58, Orchestre de Paris, Mäkelä review - risky reinvention pays off in part

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Prom 55, Ólafsson, Berlin Philharmonic, Petrenko review - stealth and sweep from the greatest

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Prom 52, Carmen, Glyndebourne Festival review - fine-tuning a masterpiece

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Prom 50, Fujita, Czech Philharmonic, Hrůša review - revelations where least expected

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